As wireless devices become more commonplace, the probability of signal interference from multiple radio sources increases. If the gain of a receiver is not properly adjusted for incoming signal strength of the desired signal, the receiver may be improperly insensitive or overly sensitive. An overly insensitive receiver is likely to be a poor receiver of a low level desired signal. An overly sensitive receiver is more susceptible to noise interference. Strong signals from undesired sources also increase the chances of poor reception due to unwanted overloading of the front end receiver which increases the chances of incorrect signal detection.
Wireless devices are becoming more portable as circuits become more compact and power efficient. Such designs often feature low power transmitters and receivers to conserve battery power while maintaining useful communications.
What is needed in the art is a receiver system which automatically adjusts its gain to maintain a good signal-to-noise ratio based a changing radio frequency environment. Such a system should account for interference from undesired radio frequency sources which can overload the receiver system. Such a system should be realizable in low power embodiments to provide improved reception by battery powered devices.